Snowden on the Move; How Did Extradition Request Fail?; The Death Of Trayvon Martin; Mandela's Health Takes a Turn; Remembering James Gandolfini; Key Rulings for Supreme Court; Nik Wallenda Completes Canyon Walk

Aired June 24, 2013 - 06:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that Putin, he knew, and it's likely he approved it.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: On the run. Edward Snowden believed to be just minutes away from flying out of Moscow. Another country defying the U.S. Who's taking him in and what does this say about us?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Death defying fete. One of the most thrilling and terrifying walks ever. Nik Wallenda makes it across the Grand Canyon, but not without a few scares along the way.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And King James one-on-one. The CNN exclusive with the NBA two-time champ just off the big win on his drive, what got him through the playoffs and how he got in trouble with his fiance?

CUOMO: Your NEW DAY starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan, and Michaela Pereira.

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CUOMO: Good morning. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to NEW DAY. I'm Chris Cuomo.

BOLDUAN: I'm Kate Bolduan. We're here with Michaela Pereira. Of course, it is Monday, June 24th, 6:00 in the East. A very, very busy morning.

CUOMO: Yes. And the first story, Edward Snowden, the man who leaked top secret details about U.S. surveillance programs is on the run. He's believed to be getting ready to fly out of Moscow within minutes. Possibly, he's headed to Havana, may then to Ecuador. This, the latest twist in an International cat and mouse game with countries openly defying the United States requests to stop him.

BOLDUAN: The Obama administration is furious that he's getting away, but the question this morning, is that their own fault? We have team coverage around the world this morning from the White House to Havana and here in New York, but we want to start with Phil Black on the phone with us in Moscow at the gate about to board the flight we believed Snowden will be on.

There's a lot of we believe because there's not a lot of confirmation that we can get on where Snowden is and his whereabouts, but what can you tell us this morning, Phil?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Just passing through actually, preparing to board this flight. It's due to leave for Havana any moment. So far, we have not seen any sign of Edward Snowden. I can tell you, a lot of people are here, and it's the expectation that he will show. There are (inaudible) from around the world. A good 50 percent of the people on board this aircraft are going to be journalists.

There's significantly increased security presence here at the gate. I am, as we speak, being shuffled aboard the aircraft. I'm waiting as long as I can to see if he arrives. The belief is, if he is on board this aircraft, he will be kept separate from the rest of us. This is all just part of an exercise over the last 24 hours guessing what Edward Snowden's next move will be. Take a look.

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BLACK (voice-over): At Moscow's airport, there were early signs the government of Ecuador was playing a role in the fate of Edward Snowden. The flag was a giveaway. This was the Ecuadorian ambassador's car parked outside and this official from the agency somehow got lost inside the terminal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have any comments.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you here in relation to Mr. Snowden at all?

BLACK: The world learned of Snowden's sudden departure from Hongkong when he was already in the air, bound for Moscow on a commercial flight. A big group of Russian and international journalists waited to meet him, but Snowden stayed inside the terminal. Soon after, the government of Ecuador confirmed he had formally asked for asylum.

Ecuador is already protecting one other man, Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange. Assange has been living in Ecuador's London Embassy for last year. In a statement, Wikileaks said Snowden had asked the organization to help find a country that would protect him. It's said, "he is bound for a democratic nation via a safe route for the purposes of asylum and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from Wikileaks."

Amid furious and changing speculation about where Snowden planned to go after Russia, the U.S. government asked Ecuador, Venezuela, and Cuba to refuse him entry, and his American passport was cancelled.

(END VIDEOTAPE) BLACK: If it's true that Edward Snowden is going to be departing on this aircraft in just a few minutes, it means he will have arrived and left without any official comment from the Russian government whatsoever. We still don't know just how the government feels about his arrival here, whether they were expecting him, whether it was a surprise, whether they assisted him in any way. Back to you, Chris and Kate.

CUOMO: All right, Phil, thank you very much. Now again, a lot of this is speculative. As Phil said, they're waiting to see if Snowden even gets on the plane, but he is believed to be heading maybe to Havana. If so, take a look at this map. This is the flight path, his Moscow to Havana flight normally takes.

As you can see, Snowden will actually fly over the United States, the country he is so openly defying. And then Cuba, never an ally of Washington, may be all too willing to help him out. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is in Havana -- Patrick.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. You know, if Edward Snowden does get on the flight with Phil and the other journalist, it's a 12-hour journey on a once a day aero flight from Moscow to Havana. So far, Cuban officials remaining very tight-lipped about what they will if he arrives here. They told us that they are monitoring the situation very closely, but claim at least that there has been no asylum requests, no guarantee of safe passage for Edward Snowden.

But, you know, as you mentioned, Chris, he's coming to go a country that has no love for Washington or American policies. Well, Cuban leaders say they would like a better relation with Washington. It may be just too tempting for them to not let Edward Snowden go on to Ecuador, continue this embarrassment, continue this massive intelligence leak. He'll be coming very, very close to the United States, but he'll still be out of reach of American authorities here in Cuba -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Patrick, thank you very much for the reporting. Two levels here, Kate, the politics of it but also international law.

BOLDUAN: It's very murky. We're going to delve into that a lot in the next three hours. But first I want to get to the White House reaction and what's going on in Washington relating to this. The U.S. government is fuming, not surprisingly, and released a blistering statement overnight sharply criticizing countries that are helping the fugitive or doing nothing to stop him.

CNN's Brianna Keilar is at the White House this morning. Brianna, the statement coming from the administration at one point said disappointing, but it seems probably more furious than disappointed.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is furious, Kate, and right now they are calling on Russia to look at all options to expel Snowden. Although Russian media is reporting that really isn't a basis at this point for Russian security services to intervene. That statement you're talking about was the White House warning Hongkong and China for allowing Snowden to leave.

A spokeswoman for the president's National Security Council saying, "we have registered our strong objections to the authorities in Hongkong as well as to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels and noted that such behavior is detrimental to U.S.-Hongkong and U.S.-China bilateral relations."

Now the U.S. is also looking at other avenues, asking Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela, to not admit Snowden or to expel him once he's there. But behind the scenes, administration officials acknowledge they have limitations in this situation, and right now they're really raising concerns or raising questions about what Snowden's motivation is here.

Saying -- one senior administration official saying, if he's really concerned about internet freedom and freedom of speech, then why is he seeking the assistance or potentially seeking the assistance of countries like Russia and China, Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela, countries that obviously don't have the highest standards when it comes to democracy.

BOLDUAN: Now that's an excellent question and an excellent point, Brianna. To be sure, if Snowden is allowed to board this flight from Moscow to Havana, Cuba, we'll be sure to hear from the administration later this morning. Brianna, thank so much -- Chris.

CUOMO: All right, Kate, they still sound to be playing a little bit of catch up down there in the White House. So let's test their reaction with CNN security analyst Fran Townsend. She served as the director of the Office of International Affairs at the Justice Department. That's the office in charge of making extradition requests.

So it's very good to have you, Fran, as always. They can say what they want in Washington right now, but it looks like they messed up here, and they should know it, fair appraisal that this should not have happened this way?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It absolutely shouldn't have happened this way. I think there's a lot of blame to go around, right? I mean, we have a good extradition relationship with Hongkong or had historically, but the idea here, Chris, that this would have been handled as business as usual, just one more request, we don't know what they did in advance.

Certainly, you would have expected the secretary of state, the White House to have engaged with Hongkong and China. Let's remember this is a protectorate, a part of China. Certainly you would have filed, when you get the provisional arrest warrant, you would have also sought an Interpol red notice -- having that red notice would have forced legally the Russians to react. They would have had to either enforce that red notice or not, but you would have put extra pressure on them.

CUOMO: You would have had urgency.

TOWNSEND: Absolutely. Why wouldn't you have revoked the passport immediately? CUOMO: So they moved slowly, but now let's look at the other side. First, Hongkong says, well, we don't think they did everything legally. We're going to let him go. Now Russia says, well, we're going to let him go where he wants. And Peskov, the Putin's press secretary says, well, the U.S. security forces were breaking the laws of their country by tapping phone calls and conducting internet service surveillance. So, you know, they should worry about themselves. How is this anything other than a slap in the face to the United States by Hongkong and Russia?

TOWNSEND: It absolutely is a slap in the face. Look, you know, to have this international fugitive on these multiple flights flouting U.S. law makes the U.S. look weak and impotent. We're being poked in the eye by other countries who are not really acting like our allies.

CUOMO: So the big question now, what can we do? What is the chance the U.S. can get Edward Snowden back on American soil?

TOWNSEND: Very difficult. I mean, look, the one high risk maneuver that's on the table this morning, if Snowden boards that flight in Moscow headed for Havana, as we've noted this morning, he's going to fly over the U.S. through U.S. air space. Could we technically -- do we have the ability to try to force that plane to land? Yes, we do. It would be a huge move.

The pilot also has the right to try to avoid the U.S. air space so he isn't put in that position. We'll see what happens. I suspect that flight, if he gets on it, he's going to land in Havana, and we're going to face the same conundrum we did in Moscow now in Havana.

CUOMO: Now all of this analysis obviously separate to whether or not what Snowden did was right, whether the surveillance was proper. If the U.S. is trying to get him back, they have not done a good job of it. Fran Townsend, thank you very much for the analysis. Appreciate it.

What does all this mean for the u.s. strategic alliances with the countries in play and what Fran was talking about? Are there any options left? In our next hour, we'll talk to CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour and CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin about that -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: And another big story we're following this morning, a day prosecutors have been building up to for 16 months. Today is opening statements in the second degree murder trial for George Zimmerman. He's charged in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

CNN's George Howell is in Sanford, Florida with more on this, this morning. So George, what are we expecting to hear today in court?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kate, good morning. It all comes down to this jury, a panel of people who admit that they may have seen bits and pieces of this case on television, but have not yet made up their minds. When we look at our latest CNN/ORC poll, a group like that is hard to find. Take a look at these numbers. The latest numbers show the majority of Americans believe there is some truth in the charges against George Zimmerman. They believe 18 percent say definitely true, 44 percent say probably true. That is the court of public opinion. But in this court, it will come down to facts. It will come down to evidence and the ability of these attorneys to make their case.

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HOWELL (voice-over): In the second degree murder trial against George Zimmerman, the first thing jurors will hear, opening statements. Attorney Don West will open for the defense team. Their goal over the next several weeks will be to convince jurors George Zimmerman acted in self-defense the night of February 26th, 2012. The defense aims to show Zimmerman as a man who was in a fight for his life the night he admitted to shooting and killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state has supplied every report.

HOWELL: John Guy will open for the state. Prosecutors must prove that Zimmerman was the aggressor. They'll argue he profiled and continued to pursue Trayvon Martin even after a dispatcher told him not to.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: OK, we don't need you to do that.

HOWELL: There's also the question of who was screaming for help on this 911 tape moments before the fatal shot.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: So you think he's yelling help?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: All right, what is your --

HOWELL: Prosecutors may also call on witnesses who claim it was Trayvon Martin screaming for help. But over the weekend, Judge Debra Nelson denied the testimony of the state's audio experts. CNN legal analyst, Mark Nejame called it a setback for prosecutors.

MARK NEJAME, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Their audio expert was one of the major cornerstones of their entire case. From the beginning, we've been saying that whoever's voice it was crying for help suggested, in fact, showed that the other person was in fact the perpetrator.

HOWELL: The jury was sworn in last week, a panel of all women, five who attorneys say are white and one is black-Hispanic. Their identities kept anonymous in order to protect their privacy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: This case expected to start opening statements at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time so just a few hours away. We already know that Attorney Don West could take some two hours to make his opening statements -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: All right, we'll be listening and watching very closely. George Howell in Florida for us. Thanks so much, George.

And there is a lot of other news developing this morning. Let's get straight to Michaela for that.

PEREIRA: All right, Kate, good morning. Good morning, Chris. Good morning to you at home.

Making news, an anxious nation holds vigils. South Africans praying for former President Nelson Mandela as his condition takes a turn for the worst. Robyn Curnow is following the developments, the latest ones from Pretoria. What can you tell us about this great leader's condition this morning?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're outside the hospital and we're hearing that the president says he is in a critical condition. Of course, this is concerning for South Africans all throughout this hospitalization, all 18 days of it. The government here has essentially been saying that he's stable but serious.

The fact that he seems to have taken a turn for the worst over the weekend is, of course, a great cause of concern for South Africans who greatly love Nelson Mandela. I briefly spoke to his daughter, though, over the weekend, and she said he wasn't yet ready to go. When he was, he would bow out in the way he chooses. However, both the government and his family telling us he's comfortable and that doctors are doing everything they can for him. Back to you.

PEREIRA: All right, Robyn, well wishes coming from around the world for that 94-year-old leader. Thanks for that report.

The funeral for "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini set for Thursday in Manhattan. His body was returned to the U.S. from Italy late Sunday. His home state of New Jersey will pay tribute today. Governor Chris Christie ordering all state buildings to fly at half staff in honor of Gandolfini's achievements. Gandolfini was on a working vacation in Rome when he died of a heart attack.

We are awaiting key rulings from the Supreme Court, Defense of Marriage Act, Prop 8, affirmative action, voting rights. We're expecting the high court to deliver opinions on all or any of these cases at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Out of the frying pan into the fire, Paula Deen may lose another business deal. Home Shopping Network QVC telling CNN it is re- examining its relationship with the celebrity chef just days after the Food Network dropped her. Deen has been in hot water since acknowledging she used a racial slur during a former employee's lawsuit with much more coming your way in our next hour.

And a heroic police dog getting all sorts of love from police officers as he recovers in the line of duty. This is bear got injured last week while helping officers break up a brawl involving four women at a Manhattan subway station. He suffered four broken teeth and cuts to his tongue when he was allegedly kicked in the mouth by a suspect. Thankfully, Bear's human partner says, the police partner says he's acting like a typical dog, in the line of duty. CUOMO: Good for him.

PEREIRA: Great service these dogs provide. I mean, fantastic. Well- trained and there is such partners to their human counterparts.

BOLDUAN: I love that, his human partner.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: He might have a girl friend.

BOLDUAN: He has many dog friends, I'm sure.

CUOMO: Did you guys watch Nik Wallenda last night?

BOLDUAN: I did, as much as I could watch.

PEREIRA: I did watch.

CUOMO: Because I got so nervous watching him last night as he crossed the Grand Canyon. When we come back here on NEW DAY, we will take a look at this history making, 1,500 feet above the ground. I don't know how he did it. But I watched it, I still --

PEREIRA: And getting (ph) ideas there.

CUOMO: I know.

BOLDUAN: I had my one and only time on a high wire.

(CROSSTALK)

BOLDUAN: Coming up on NEW DAY: an exclusive with Rachel Nichols as he sits down with NBA MVP LeBron James. Find out why James is apologizing to Rachel.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PEREIRA: That guy.

BOLDUAN: We're talking about.

Welcome back to NEW DAY.

Last night, this pretty extraordinary feat. Take a look at this. This is high wire walker Nik Wallenda pushing himself to the limit, walking across the Grand Canyon and doing it with no safety harness.

Our Miguel Marquez is live in Arizona with more. It makes you dizzy just looking at it. Hey there, Miguel.

MARQUEZ: A two-inch cable stretching a quarter mile across the little Colorado River.

WALLENDA: I'm not liking it.

MARQUEZ: The most hair-raising part of the Discovery Channel- sponsored feat --

WALLENDA: Lord, help this cable to calm down.

MARQUEZ: When the seventh-generation daredevil's balance pole began swinging, teetering higher and higher.

WALLENDA: The winds are way worse than I expected.

MARQUEZ: Was he losing control.

WALLENDA: You'll have to tell me how long I'm on the wire.

MARQUEZ: Twice, he stopped, kneeling to regain his composure and steady the wire quivering under his feet.

WALLENDA: We're just a long way down.

MARQUEZ: Over hell hole bend and without a tether or safety harness, the 34-year-old thrill seeker sounding more like a preacher.

WALLENDA: Thank you, Lord.

MARQUEZ: The feat finished. Wallenda says it was his faith that kept him focus as he battled the winds and dusty conditions.

WALLENDA: It took every bit of me to stay focus that entire time. My arms are aching like you wouldn't believe.

BOLDUAN: You make nervous into focus, is that how you --

WALLENDA: Yes. I mean, once it's time to go, it's time to go. After the first step, there's no turning back.

MARQUEZ: Life on a wire, cheating death one more day. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a scale, one to ten, what he did tonight was unbelievable. I mean, I'd give it a ten.

MARQUEZ: For the finale, Nik Wallenda ran to the finish.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now, he actually said, if you're keeping count, he said the word Jesus 61 times during his little walk across the gorge there, and his next feat, he's already lining it up. It's going to be in New York City, two skyscrapers and then walking across those. Crazy.

Back to you guys.

BOLDUAN: You should have heard everyone here. Everyone was ooh, aah.

CUOMO: Sixty-one times, that's nothing. I would have been saying Jesus 60 times a minute.

BOLDUAN: He says who else is he going to talk to while he's up there?

CUOMO: Praying everybody at anything.

BOLDUAN: No one better to talk to when you're going to keep your composure.

PEREIRA: He was wearing jeans. I don't know if I thought he was going to wear some daredevil like unitard or something.

BOLDUAN: I asked him that when I interviewed him. He said, what am I supposed to wear? He wears whatever is comfortable. It's all about for him the moccasins. His mother makes special moccasins.

BOLDUAN: This is me above the Grand Canyon or 30 feet up, 30 feet up is scary enough. And I not if I ever would --

PEREIRA: Did you look down?

BOLDUAN: I look down and he actually said he does look down. He takes time to enjoy the view that nobody else gets to see.

CUOMO: Is this true that you told him using the balance pole makes it weak and soft -- BOLDUAN: No, I did not say that. But I did say, does it at least built up your biceps, when you do workout in there while you're up there?

CUOMO: Got a two for going?

(CROSSTALK)

BOLUDAN: Congratulations, Nik. We're glad you made it to the other side.

CUOMO: Boy, oh, boy.

Twenty-three minutes after the hour. That means it's money time. Christine Romans is here with all the business news you need to know.

I assigned you a time, and you must be here.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I know. I'm telling you, it's scary, just like Nik Wallenda was, looking at the stock market, right? I mean, it's kind of a rough week last week.

Stock futures weaker this morning following last week's selloff. The Dow, NASDAQ, S&P each fell 2 percent after Ben Bernanke signaled an end to the Fed's stimulus program.

And this morning, China's main stock index plunging 5 percent today. Lowest close there since 2009. Worries in China, you guys, about a credit squeeze. So we're really watching China and its problems right now to see how that's going to reverberate for us. Futures are lower. >

And earlier today -- Michaela said it's a two cup of coffee morning. Starting tomorrow you're going to pay more for your Starbucks latte, my dear.

And the wait is over. Twinkies and Hostess cupcakes returning to store shelves July 15th. Our national nightmare has ended. There will reportedly be a new tag line, I love this one, the sweetest comeback in the history of ever. The recipes have been tweaked. Cupcakes are going to be made with dark cocoa instead of milk chocolate.

Hostess filed for bankruptcy last year, but was bought by a private equity firm, and they're taking the most famous brands and bringing them back. We'll see how they do.

BOLDUAN: We might giggle this morning. People were furious. They were buying them off the shelves. Are you people?

CUOMO: I'm people.

PERIERA: When was the last time you bought a Twinkie?

CUOMO: First of all, I had at least three boxes in the house when we found out they were going away. I had friends sending them to me as gifts. I thought they were delicious. And I don't understand why do they have to make new ones? Don't they have a half life of like 100 years?

PEREIRA: There's still one in your stomach digesting.

CUOMO: All Twinkies right here.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Nice. You want a Twinkie with your coffee, it's going to be more expensive.

CUOMO: Thank you, Christine.

ROMANS: You're welcome.

BOLDUAN: All right. Still ahead, we're talking to the Taliban. How critical peace talks could determine the fate of the only known American prisoner of war in Afghanistan. A huge story we've been following since last week.

CUOMO: Plus, El Ray (ph). LeBron James talks about life after his NBA finals win. An exclusive conversation only here on NEW DAY with Rachel Nichols.